Saturday, February 20, 2010

Return of the Harlequin -- Part Two

Author’s note: This is the first part of a two-part follow-up to October 2009’s “Night of the Harlequin.” Dan Mitchell’s childhood waking nightmare still haunts him.

When Dan Mitchell and his wife moved from their southern Wisconsin three-bedroom townhouse, they kept in touch with their neighbors. When Mitchell’s wife called to announce they were moving back into the townhouse in early March, she found someone had been looking for them.

“The woman who lives there with her husband she says that her and her husband were up watching a movie (Feb. 5),” Mitchell said. “She had a pizza in the oven and when the timer went off she goes into the kitchen to take it out.”

Someone was waiting for her.

“Once she gets to the kitchen she is horrified to see a strange woman standing in her kitchen,” Mitchell said. “She says that she knew she heard something, but thought it was the cats. It didn’t sound like the door even opened.”

Mitchell’s neighbor said the woman in the kitchen looked like she was wearing a disguise. Blonde hair, big sunglasses, “and overall she was just weird looking.” She also held a key.

“She says something like, ‘I have this key for the house next door (Mitchell’s townhouse). I tried it but it didn’t work. I have the wrong key because it opens (Mitchell’s neighbor’s) door,’” Mitchell said.

The couple demanded the woman leave, and she did.

“They lock the door behind her and start to run around to the windows to see if she is getting into a car,” Mitchell said. “They wanted a license plate so they can tell the police.”

But there was no car and the woman seemed to have disappeared.

“They called the landlord and he came out to change the locks the next day,” Mitchell said. “The landlord says he never gave anybody the keys to the houses and has no idea how it could have happened.”

The encounter has rattled Mitchell’s neighbor.

“She tells me that she can’t sleep at night and wants to buy a big dog to have in the house after what happened,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is convinced this woman trying to get into his townhouse is the entity that’s plagued his life; a sexless, moon-eyed entity that often spoke with him in his bedroom as a child – an entity he calls the Harlequin. This creature has randomly appeared to him for almost 30 years.

“I am starting to suspect that perhaps I am being tracked down,” he said. “I can’t say that there is anything malevolent going on around here, but there is something odd and disturbing.”

Mitchell doesn’t know if this entity is angel, demon or extraterrestrial – he just knows it’s not human.

“I’m convinced at this point, not a doubt in my mind, that we are dealing with something that is as real as you and me,” he said. “And for whatever reason it has taken an interest in either myself or my family.”

Mitchell and his family want to know that reason.

“We just want to get the story out in the hope that maybe someone can tell us they have been seeing similar things or have more information than we do,” he said. “It doesn’t seem that many people are seeing this type of being.”

One person who has seen a similar entity is Adrian Hicks, a councilman from Winchester, Hampshire, England. Walking down High Street at 1:30 p.m. on a Saturday in February 2004, Hicks saw a blonde girl in a white ballet dress, but what set the girl off from the crowd was her walk.

Hicks described the woman as a “humanoid” that walked “with a penguin-like gait,” and was taking keen interest in everyday objects, like a bank clock.

“Most definitely an alien,” Hicks said. “I watched her for a very good eight minutes plus.”

Although the street was busy that winter day and Hicks reported someone taking pictures of her, no one else has come forth to say they saw the girl in the ballet costume, Andrew Napier, chief reporter of the Hampshire Chronicle, said. Napier was the first person to interview Hicks about his encounter.

“Despite lots of publicity in the local papers and Web sites, no one has come forward to corroborate what Mr. Hicks said he saw,” Napier said.

However, the drawing made of the entity Hicks saw made an impression on Mitchell.

“The likeness in his drawing was the spitting image of what we have here, the collar was identical,” Mitchell said. “I recall he said that someone got pictures of this thing. I’d pay to see those, I really would. Hopefully someone might know something or have a similar story in all of this. Time will tell. I’ve been taking my camera with me everywhere I go.”

Copyright 2010 by Jason Offutt

Got a scary story? Ever played with a Ouija board, heard voices, seen a ghost, UFO or a creature you couldn’t identify? Let Jason know about it: Jason Offutt, P.O. Box 501, Maryville, Mo., 64468, or jasonoffutt@hotmail.com. Your story might make an upcoming installment of “From the Shadows.”

Jason’s books on the paranormal, “Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us,” and “Haunted Missouri: A Ghostly Guide to Missouri’s Most Spirited Spots,” at Jason’s blog, from-the-shadows.blogspot.com.

I am a performance/installation artist who has often had models on the street in costume. And as they do their thing I have been present to photograph or video them. The fact that your witness to the penquin girl saw her being photographed should be a give away that this was an instance of performance art / street theater. Yes artists do strange and unexpected things sometimes. It's funny to think that my work might also be responsible for the origins of tales of humanoid sightings!! LOL t"Mara

If the Harlequin is in fact nonhuman - and, given this strange account, odds are that Dan is correct in that assumption - he is truly privileged for it to take such a focused interest in him. My advice: However great the fear engendered, meet it and talk with it. You will receive a boon greater than your wildest dreams.

To the contrary, he and his family should avoid this entity. It is of Satan. He should confess his sins to Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized and believe in Jesus the Christ for his salvation. Then, if this entity shows up again, command it to flee in the most powerful name in the Universe: Jesus the Christ. It will flee and it will become angry. He can pray that prayer for deliverance from this demon, even before he becomes a believer. But, once he does pray it, he and his family need to become Christians to keep it away.

I appreciate the comments from Christians, saying that Dan Mitchell needs to get saved, and that if he does so, this sort of thing will stop. They're presumably well-intentioned.

However, I could probably give Jason a couple of minor stories which he'd find interesting as well, from my own experience, and said phenomena only stopped for me after my conversion to Shakta Hinduism in 2007. If I ever sleep in a room without my Kali statue, I can have problems; if the statue is with me, however, I don't, and there is a presence associated with said statue as well.

I was Christian for years as a teenager. When you can hear whispering and what sounds like a toddler's footsteps outside your bedroom door at night, as well as feeling something like a cat jumping on your bed, you can bet that you start praying to Jesus Christ. For me, however, prayer to him never helped *once.*

Dan needs to find out who his real Godform is. That might be Jesus/the God of Israel, it might not be. The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram also works, and works well; I've used that at times when I haven't had my statue of Ma with me.

Here is a thread that I started once about the Greys, where I shared some advice myself on getting rid of them, and also got some more back.

I'm not afraid of any of the sort of stuff that Jason writes about here. I used to be, and I used to have problems with spirits, but then I just learned about how to deal with it, and now it isn't a problem.

Mitchell needs to get a handle on exactly what he's dealing with; whether spirit or physical extraterrestial. The next time he sees it, I'd suggest conducting an experiment to determine how well his harlequin responds to a shotgun, and go from there. If the thing is acorporeal, then there's answers to that, too.

Learn what you're dealing with, learn what its' poison is, and kick its' ass. The traditional answer to unknowns, of lying face down in a foetal position on the floor and waiting for it to leave on its' own, is unnecessary.

I wonder who this presence is that you say is with you when the statue is in your room.

My guess is that your demons have simply changed their form or approach to you, or new ones were sent by Satan to take their place so as to keep you away from Jesus Christ and placing your faith in 'them' instead.

All we have is your word that praying to Jesus Christ did not help you. Can you explain what type of prayer you made to Him, how you lived your life, if the prayer really never caused the attacks to stop ever and not at all, and what you mean when you say you were a 'christian' in your youth. Does that mean you went to Church? What type of Church? Did you fast? Did you stay away from sin? Did you submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Did you call to Him by name? Were you involved in the occult ie conjuring up spirits through the use of a Oujia Board? Can you elaborate for us.

I do not believe that any being but God can get rid of demons. You cannot cast out or away a demon with another demon. Hinduism is a demon worshipping religion that mistakes demons in disguise for gods. These 'gods' and the demons are one in the same.

I've also grown extremely accustomed to Christians condemning me, truthfully. One of the last things a Christian I'd known for more than 10 years before that, said to me in 2007, was that he felt that I'd become Satan's property. I had one of them standing behind me in the vegetable section at a supermarket once, who was visibly terrified of me; and I was doing nothing to him. I was simply doing shopping.

That's why I'm posting here, trying to give people information that could help them with these sorts of entities. Because I'm in league with Satan, right?

Here's something else you might want to consider. Two years ago, (after my conversion) I actually came across someone online who was a reverend in the Church of Satan in California. He had his own group of other people within it.

He spoke to me about his life before he'd joined the church; how he experienced the most horrific forms of paternal abuse, and other things which led to him doing that.

Then around a year after I started listening to him, he eventually told me that he was leaving that organisation, and wanted to completely change his life; I'd been telling him repeatedly, although as gently as possible, that that was something he should do. I was very happy to discover that he was leaving, as well; he was a completely redeemable person, and I knew that in another environment, he could go on to in turn help others.

As a human being, I'm not perfect; at times I feel guilty because of how intolerant I am towards a younger brother of mine, when he is annoying, or bullies me. I also don't live life as fully as I could, either; and I'm not talking about immorality there, either.

Christians might have trouble recognising which side I'm on; they seem to have that difficulty with a lot of people, truth be told. Fundamentally however, my ego not withstanding, I know what my own intentions are.

I've also accepted, truthfully, the idea that yes, according to Christians at least, I very well may be going to Hell myself. I certainly don't conform to Christian expectations, and I never really have.

If I am damned myself, I accept it. I will use what small amount of time I still have, to assist others in moving towards the Light that, from what I am told by every Christian who encounters me, I myself will never see. I will enter the Lake of Fire with my eyes open, and if I am ever allowed a coherent thought amidst the eternal agony, it will be of those that I was priveleged to assist in avoiding that place themselves.

It seems obvious to anyone who isn't a christian zealot that this entity is unlikely to be a demon. It has done nothing that overtly evil, and seems lonely and in need of company.I doubt that confessing imaginary sins to Jebus and self flagellating will have an effect on this entity, except to show it how strangely human beings can act, outweirding even weird entities.

Such an odd story. This would be kinda easy to dismiss as fantasy or someone testing their creative writing skills but I've had my own experiences that would also be easy to dismiss had I not experienced for myself. There seems like an awful lot of "help" is being offered to this guy but that in itself is disturbing. These installments of this story have told nothing other than this guy thinks a non-human is stalking him.It doesn't say if he has a history of mental illness or substance abuse, if he's asked his family anything about this thing,is he given to pranks?Did he or any of his family ever indulge in occult practices foolishly, without respect of the possible consequences or as a non-believer? How much research has he done on his own? What was the research so someone who is thinking of just jumping in and helping doesn't do so misunderstanding this guy and becoming victims themselves .It seems like everyone is giving him their expert cure/strategy/idea. But this might be counterproductive without knowing waaaaay more. Maybe the advice should be given as if it were an acute medical problem: if you don't really know, don't advise.And if your experience is actually role-playing games,playing with boards, or having watched every horror/sci fi movie made in the last 30 years, consider what kind of damage this might do to someone who appears to be desperate if you give him advice you know nothing about.

First of all, I can't for the life of me understand why there are so many accusations flying around here in regard to myself, occult practice, or the "evil" things my family may have done to warrant this strange activity. These subtle attacks being made are certainly not necessary. I've presented this story to Jason in the hopes that I could exchange notes with others that may have had similar encounters.

To answer your questions, I was raised in a Christian home and my family belonged to a Presbyterian church. Bible studies were common in my home growing up and the Christian faith was promoted above everything else. As a boy all I read was scripture (and related Christian books) because that's all I was allowed until I was 15 or 16. Before I was old enough to read, my older brothers would read me scripture from a Children's bible. I grew up in a very godly home, with very dutiful Christian parents. There were no occult practices going on. If the truth be known, I have forgotten more about scripture than most people probably know, including the Christian Anonymous who seems to have began all of this trouble and even sent me a personal email (because I posted my email address in the comment section back in October). If you'd like me to go further into my own religious background, I have studied Koine Greek and some Latin since I was 21 in order to better understand scripture (I prefer the Septuagint over the Masoretic Text). Until the time I was 24, I had sincerely considered going to seminary. I'm no novice when it comes to the Christian faith. I will not go into any religous debates here, because this is not my blog, but Jason's, but I do not go to church because practically all churches today preach moral platitudes rather than spiritual truths.

Furthermore, RL, I have never been on any psyche meds, I have never done any drugs, and I have never written a book (because you mentioned "creative writing"). I'm not even sure about your comment about pranks. I have four kids, a wife, and a full-time job. Do you think that leaves me anytime to start a prank? I live a rather well-balanced and normal life aside from being a magnet of high-strangenss my entire life. While I certainly admit that I drink alcohol from time to time, I am no alcoholic, and drinking hasn't contributed to this phenomenon.

These experiences began for me when I was about 4 years old, when my father himself was a local "street preacher" and business owner and my mom a homemaker. Your theory about this being related to lack of faith is not only disingenuous, but unchristian. Being the good Christians that you are, you should know that bearing false witness is a sin, or perhaps you have forgotten that when Christ spoke to the rich young man in the book of Matthew 19:18, Christ once again reiterated the importance of not bearing false witness against others. I think your words would be better appreciated if you did a better job presenting them.

I completely agree with Dan and I should have said something sooner. This is not a forum to attack anyone's background or religion. As Dan said, he came to me with his story hoping that by getting it out, he might find some answers as to what this entity is.

It hasn't hurt anyone. You don't say that it's even said anything so much as a cross word. Just that you can't REMEMBER what it said to you as a child. I highly DOUBT this is anything demonic; or you'd be post-toasty by now and in an institution, if not simply dead.

This is some sort of Earth Spirit. For whatever reason, it has taken an interest in you. Sit and find out what it needs, or what it is trying to tell you. If you haven't been injured by now, I HIGHLY doubt you're going to be. It would have been far easier to hurt you as a child. And even the christian psychotics know; the GREATEST prize for satan is corrupting the soul of an innocent child. So again, I would say you are in the clear as far as it being an evil entity goes.

Obviously, this being has patience, as it has been waiting, and trying to speak with you repeatedly over the course of your life. Up to this point, you have been unable to understand it, perhaps because you have not been ready for whatever it's message may be.

And please do NOT try a shotgun. It has done nothing to injure YOU. I doubt such a weapon could hurt it, but, why take the chance of pissing it off???

After it gets it's message to you, it may just leave, Its' job being done. Obviously, it has SOME job to do, or message to deliver, and has been waiting many years til you are ready for it.

Try being friendly and calm. Have a video or audio recorder at least handy. Please let us know what happens.

Hello Mr. Mitchell! you may want to read Budd Hopkin's book Sight Unseen: Science, UFO Invisibility and Transgenic Beings. it contains a number of witness accounts of contact (sometimes as extensive as your own, or even more so) with beings similar to the one you describe. Mr. Hopkins labels them 'transgenic' or human/alien hybrids, but i don't know that he proves his case. But the stories have a lot of similarity to what you describe. from a review: "The resulting "transgenic" offspring can pass for human while serving the aliens, the authors argue, and nonhuman beings live among us, often distinguishable by their social unease and unfashionable clothes." John Keel describes similar entities in The Mothman Prophecies.

you might also be interested in Dion Fortune's Psychic Self Defense. she has a number of practical tips in the back for protection from psychic attack (don't know if it would be helpful in your case but could be worth a try) as well as a section on non-human elementals.

Good luck to you. life is far stranger than most are willing to admit. and i would take heart from the fact that his entity, as others have stated, has done you no harm. I hope you find these ideas helpful, steph

p.s. Thinking while making a 'cuppa', i remembered that John Keel's Mothman Prophecies actually has quite a bit of information on a number of people's encounters with these type of entities: the clothes are wrong, they're fascinated by everyday objects, they don't move 'right', their sense of time and the 'area of time' around them seems very distorted. often there is a sense that they want or need to communicate something, but don't know how.......don't confuse the book with the movie! the movie has none of this info in it.

Nothing you said indicates that this is not a fallen angel in disguise.

Also, it is not uncommon for the evil spirits to manifest and attack Christians. The desert fathers such as Saint Anthony regular were physically attacked by the devil and his angels, while they lived in the desert, alone.

I did not accuse you of not being a christian, I merely suggested what could be a cause of your visitations, so it is hyperbolic of you to advance the assertion that I engaged in false witness.

But, now that you admit that you do not involve yourself in a Christian church, you, by your own admission have implied that you have forsaken the power and protection of the Holy Spirit which you also imply you partook of when younger. I have to say, reading between the lines you write as if you were forced to partake of Church things and bible reading, thus further implying you did not take it to heart, like it or ever become a true believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, or since then, you have become an apostate, perhaps.

You assert that 'I do not go to church because practically all churches today preach moral platitudes rather than spiritual truths'. What in the world does that mean? That language just looks like rhetorical cover to excuse yourself for becoming an unbeliever. When did you become the moral authority in the universe? What type of spriritual truths does Christianity lack that you condemn all Churches? Would you know a spiritual truth if you encountered one? What would it be? Shall we assume that you would assert that a pantheist world view is the nexus of all spiritual truth?

I have told you what it is that is haunting you. I have told you how to get rid of it. But, if you like it shadowing you, then keep doing what you are doing. There might even be a profitable book or movie for you in this. If that is your goal, then your assertions begin to make more sense.

If your premise is that Jesus Christ is not God, that Christianity is not true, even evil, and pagan religions are good and benevolent by contrast....

Here's some food for thought

1) Pagans, including former heroes of the atheist brand of paganism, called marxism, have systematically murdered and massacred hundreds of millions throughout history, including many hundreds of millions of Christians for the crime of being...'christians'.

2)The nobel indians you exhalt, were mass murderers of each other. Many times they engaged in barbaric wars on each other throughtout their violent histories, butchering each other, continually. Interestingly, many of such wars were precipitated by this pagan 'god' or that pagan 'god' or entity that made appearances to their Shamans and demanded that they work themselves into a frenzy and then attack, destroy and murder neighboring tribes all to appease that 'god'. In Mexico, the benevolent, peaceful Aztecs engaged in human sacrifice to the tune of millions of their own to appease their 'gods'.

3)History is replete with how the so called indidgeous, 'peace-loving' pagans (nature worshippers, etc) engaged in atrocity after atrociy murdering millions of their own throughout history. The best thing that ever happend to these murderous demon inspired, blood thristy tribes is that the Europeans discovered America and converted them. The killing stopped when they were finally converted and, yes, conquered. The Catholic Church brought peace and salvation to the millions of pagan indigenous peoples who were in the lands they came to. The killing stopped. Babies stopped being sacrificed. The poor were protected. Such peoples came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and went to heaven when they died instead of hell.

4)Your peace loving benevolent hindu religion in India of which you proclaim to be an adherent places hundreds of millions into permanent castes that they cannot escape from. They are treated despicably as 'untouchables'. Millions have died from this treatment. What a wicked belief system inspired by Satan himself. It was a Christian, Mother Theresa who went into the cesspools in which they lived and ministered to them. What did you and your hinduism ever do for them? I'll you what. Nothing. You watched them die and you did not lift a finger. So, your religion is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of million of 'indigenous' people. Their own people.

All of these other world religions, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and on and on are from Satan, inspired by Satan and pay homage to him and his many demons in their 'godlike' disguises. They demand human death and sacrifice. Jesus Christ came and defeated him. Jesus is Life. He is the author of life and those who worship Him will find life everlasting, instead of death at the hands of the 'gods' of the satanic religions mentioned above.

I think that christianity has nothing to do with this so bringing that into the mix is kind of narrow minded and self serving, just a way to scare more converts into the flocks.

I believe what is and has happened to our friend is something that is in some odd way there to give him a message, it searched our friends mind as a 4 year old and is presenting itself as nearly as it can as to not scare him. As he boy got older the Harliquin did not know how to adapt its appearance and that is why it looks like a cross between the Joker from batman and a Shinigami from the Deathnote anime, look them up, you will see the simularities.

So, I feel that when our friend was younger the Harliquin was trying to be friends with him and through the years became attached to our friend in a parental/best friend way. It doesnt know how to fully comprehend the complexity of human interactions and so with its frightening appearacnce, slightly erratic behavior and insistance of seeing our friend, its probably not there to hurt him, but is hurt that he doesnt want to be around the Harliquin anymore, he loves our friend and does not know how to act, thats why when it knows he is going to be near or is near it makes an effort to see him.

How this creature knows is only another theory but it could be if it is from another world or dimension and has such a connection to our friend he may have a link of some sort, that it just knows when our friend is near.

I say draw it out in the open, dont bring any dangerouse weapons. Bring a video camera and some people you trust. If it is that concerned with seeing our friend then getting it to come to him should be easy.

If that does come to pass let us know and show the proof and all you chritianiy devil fearing hate mongers, God is the only one who can pass judgment so shut your traps, read your old expired passages that have no meanings in todays world and let this play itself out.

There is no devil, the devil is a creation of man by man to control man. Religion has always been about controling people and the main dogman with religion is "your either with us or against us. By giving into fear you give the "evil" things strength. You show this thing no fear, you show you are in control and they cannot hurt you. You can pray all you want, you can hope all you want, but only by action can things be done so like I said before, religion has nothing to do with this, sit down, be quiet and let these two work it out.

Ya know, I think he should let someone who has a paranormal backround investigate this. I am confused as to what this may be (angel, demon, humanoid, etc). As in having any contact with this entity, maybe not. It oviously has a attachment to him but hasn't harmed him. Don't use any investigators who are psychic, medium, shaman,etc. This is a very perplexed situation.

I wonder if Mr mitchell has ever considered under going a regression therapy ising hynponsis with a professional who does cases like this. The reason why i suggest is what happened after he went to sleep ? maybe there are locked away memories too dramatic and they had been locked away as a self defense mechanism and the only thing he fully remembers is just the stories told by the entity and nothing else.just my worthless 2 cents

Its really sad that, in our age of reason and logic, closed minded people immediately assume anything they don't understand to be the work of a god or a devil. It seems very lazy to assume unexplained phenomena is the work of a deity, whom refuses to prove his existence, rather then trying to figure things out.

Human reason and logic are flawed as proven over and over again, most recently the stock market that the 'experts' said they had fine tuned. 'They' know 'everything' about economics and thought they had it all under control. But, it turns out, what they meant was they had it under control to enrich themselves.

Lesson: never trust a human or his mere senses or intellect. Not even your own.

God is real. He has revealed Himself to me. As the scripture says: draw closer to God and He will draw closer to you.

You don't believe He exists, because you choose to disbelieve. You willfully disbelieve. The evidence for God is everywhere. But, you refuse to acknowledge it. That is why there is a hell.

Sheep need a shepard because they can't think for themselves. As far as revealing himself to you; if you hear voices, there are plenty of treatments for your condition out there. And as far as your evidence; cite one definitive thing with out using anything self-fulfilling or circular.

Just wanted to tell you that your blog is awesome and that I might have to stop reading it because the stories are way too scary for me. I only red the Harlequin one and the Black Eyed Kids one and I'm already afraid of going to my room right now! I need a comedy movie first =P Thanks for scaring me for months! You're awesome!

Just wanted to tell you that your blog is awesome and that I might have to stop reading it because the stories are way too scary for me. I only red the Harlequin one and the Black Eyed Kids one and I'm already afraid of going to my room right now! I need a comedy movie first =P Thanks for scaring me for months! You're awesome!

What type of evidence are you looking for of the truth of the existence of God. What evidence would convince you. Before I respond, I require that you set the parameters of what you would consider evidence so you cannot later say that what you are presented with is not evidence, or later wiggle out of them once they are presented to you. And, as you said, do not demand evidence that is a made up, subjective demand on your part. Tell me what objective evidence it is that you request, since you have rejected eye witness, personal testimony, which by the way, is accepted all the time in a court of law and has been throughout history to establish truth. Funny how you will accept the testimony of the observations of non christians for what is truth, but if it comes from a believer in God, you reject it per se. How did you establish such a parameter and what objective testing did you do to come to that mode of reasing.

As for God speaking to me, your comments are to be expected from a lost person. You cannot understand. The reprobate mind cannot understand the things of God.

In relation to "We are sheep" issue. are you really without direction you need a book to tell you what to do our how to feel, think and believe? Didnt God make us in his own image and if that is the case he is just as flawed as we are. The reason people have a hard time with "Angels and Demons" in todays day and age is we have a far better understanding of the world now than we did back 4000 to 5000 years ago when these stories were written.

So, I am my own independent person, I do not believe someone should be commanded or told what to do unless its work related or you are in the military. God is there for guidance and advaice but we are the ones who ultimatly make the choices.

In concerns with our friend and his situation this thing is obviously tied to him and he is the only one who can solve this problem, confront it and find out what it wants, so no amount of Praying or name calling, being called "Lost Sheep" will help, because we don't believe in your way of dealing with things will alter anything. I do not discount christianity, its basic message is of love peace and understanding, but it has been and always will be a means of control by man of man, I will say it again about most religions, their dogma is "if your not with us, you are against us and your going to hell." I got news for you, the Rapture's already happened, we are the ones left behind so get out your swords and head to the field of Armmegedon because the demons are on the way! lol

I would never presume to think that I know more about Jesus than a follower like yourself, but I beg you to think about His message and how He would react in a situation like this.

Did Jesus argue? When the Romans crucified him in Jerusalem, did he tell them that God created Hell just for people like them who "refuse to acknowledge [God]"? Did He tell them why their religions were so evil, wrong, and of Satan? Did he tell them that their religion was single-handedly responsible for the deaths of "hundreds of million of 'indigenous' people" and that they "watched them die and [they] did nothing to lift a finger to help them"?

Jesus tells us to love our enemies as well as our friends. It doesn't appear to me that you have shown any love for these people that you have condemned. How successful do you think your efforts at conversion have been? How many people do you think have read your messages and felt compelled to declare Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?

Instead, you have made enemies of them. You have alienated them even further when you could have acted as a source of wisdom, guidance, and love. You have judged them, despite Jesus telling us not to judge. You have declared their practices evil, their lifestyles wrong, and their religions satanic and murderous. They have offered you no words of thanks, and they left this interaction even more upset with Christianity. Humility is important for a reason.

In fact, the truth needed to be told. Truth was attacked, Christ was attacked, Christianity was attacked and defamed, and Christains were lambasted by the non believers on here. That called for a written response of the truth, historical, cultural and otherwise

If any readers found that offensive, then their problem is with the truth.

Jesus continually spoke of hell and warned people about it. He was not this milquetoast, softie that the media tries to portray Him as. He was demanding and strong.

He is God. And, as God, He will judge the world and all of those who have ever lived.

He requires repentance. He requires His followers to tell the world the truth. If the truth offends, then their problem is with God, not Christians. Take it up with Him if the truth offends you. Go tell Him you don't like the truth and don't want to hear it. See where that gets you.

I also acknowledge my responsibility in starting this conflict. My only intent was to assist Dan, but I should also have refrained from questioning the methods of protection which the Christians here may have offered him.

There is no need to withdraw, my friend. Just because we disagree and become passionate about it, does not mean one of us has to leave. Stay and dialogue. Tell me where you think I am wrong and why. That does not offend me. All I ask is that you give me the courtesy of listening to what I believe is the truth. I am concerned for you and the others here, especially Dan. It is my opinion that he is truly dealing with an evil spirit.

Understand, I do not take any of anyone's attacks personally. But, I am compelled to defend against such attacks, just as I am compelled to try to help Dan see what he is dealing with and tell him how to get it to leave him, if he is willing.

However, I don't become angry with anyone or wish to chase them away. I have no ill feelings for anyone or anything they wrote. From my perspective, they simply do not understand, and that is why they attack.

We are not at war with each other, rhetorically or otherwise. Instead, all of humanity is at war with, whether they realize it or not, and dealing with a highly intelligent, murderous, highly deceptive, shapeshifting, well organized and spiritually powerful army of fallen angels, consisting of very large numbers.

Their leader and they want to deceive men into following them into eternal hell. They hate God.

Their powers are well beyond ours, even as they are subordinate to God. But, for God, we are easily fooled by them. We believe what they say. We take their appearance and representations at face value. They manipulate our minds, thought, emotions and archtypes. We are like defenseless small game to them. And, to us, their powers seem godlike. They want to be worshipped. And, they can appear benevolent, even as they frighten the life out of the poor humans who happen to encounter them. They excude false benevolence, but supernaturally mask their real thoughts, for if you knew their true intentions, you would die of fright on the spot.

We are the prize. That is why they are after us. They want to take God's most precious creation, made in His image to love Him, away from Him.

There is a spiritual war going on according to Ephesians Chapter 6. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual principalities and strongholds commanded by Satan and his minions. This war has been going on since the garden.

@ Jason, I think this and other non traditional descriptions of beings and entities are facinating. Have you or anyone you know about made a systematic grid or list of 'possible' creatures/beings/entities? I am curious to see some kind of side-by side comparisons, frequencies in reports, circumstances. You know all listed out for study, even from an esoteric point of view; independent view point. There's a lot of loaded responses here. I really value your reporting.

"Now as He (Jesus) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying,‘Tell us, when will these things be?’And ‘What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the Age?’"

(Matt 24:3)

"Jesus answered and said to them ...

And there will be earthquakes in various (diverse) places,"

(Matt 24:8)

Please note . . .

This prophecy looked far into the future and into the day (and generation) when there would be worldwide communications available to report these worldwide earthquakes as they happen. 2000 years ago the people living in Jerusalem and Israel (to whom these prophecies were first given) would never have known these earthquakes in "diverse places" had ever taken place ...

So, although the world has always had earthquakes, false messiahs and prophets, wars, ethnic violence and strife, famines, and deadly diseases, Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) tells us that as a sign that we are entering into the last days we will see each of these increase in frequency and size. Described as "birth pangs," these "pains" will continue to grow worse and worse, coming closer and closer together, as signs we are preparing to enter the Apocalypse.

For then Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) warns . . .

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (the coming "Apocalypse").

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved"

(Matt 24:21-22)

Jesus (Yeshua) warns that never in the history of Mankind has there been anything as terrible on Earth as the coming "Apocalypse", the "Great Tribulation", "The Day of (God's) Wrath" - only a small remnant of the world will survive.

Have a hard time believing in God? Just watch the news. The above verses are clear ...

The Kingdom of Heaven is available to every man, woman, boy, and girl in this world, no matter who they are, where they live, or what they have done. It is freely offered to any and all who will receive it. Simply learn of Jesus (Yeshua), the promised Messiah, invite Him into your life as Lord, believe He died on the Cross for all of your sins and rose from the grave (proving there is a Kingdom of Heaven ... and a Hell). Learn of Him and believe in Him . . . for He was the only one who has ever loved you enough to substitute Himself for you on the Cross. He shed His blood, suffered, and died on the Cross to save you from your sins and from the utter darkness and torment of Hell, if you will accept it, believe it, and trust in it. That is why Jesus is called Savior. He now lovingly and graciously offers you life in Heaven (and we are warned it is a "take it or leave it" proposition.) We have to consciously receive it and accept it in faith. If you sincerely admit you have sinned (which means you will need a Savior to get into Heaven) and ask Jesus to come into your life and honestly try to stop doing (and saying) those things God says are wrong, you will go to Heaven ... and with open arms and tears of joy He will receive all who will come to Him in faith and in love ... It's God's Promise!!!

Do not reject God's love and His free offer of life in the Kingdom of Heaven by rejecting Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) who stepped forth from Eternity ("from of old, from everlasting"... see Micah 5:2) ... not to condemn the sinner, but to save the sinner (from the torment of Hell) and who willingly and lovingly shed His blood on the Cross so we can be washed clean of all our sins. The Bible warns there will be no peace in our lives until we make peace with God through His Son, Jesus (Yeshua), the promised Messiah. The Bible also says there will be no peace in Israel or on Earth until Jesus (Yeshua), the Messiah returns . . .

About Me

Jason Offutt is a syndicated columnist, author, college journalism instructor, and fan of all things strange. His books include the novel, "A Funeral Story," the parody survival book, "How to Kill Monsters Using Common Household Items," the humorous travelogue, "Across a Corn-Swept Land," and four books about the paranormal, "Paranormal Missouri: Show Me Your Monsters," "What Lurks Beyond: The Paranormal In Your Backyard," "Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us," and “Haunted Missouri: A Ghostly Guide to Missouri's Most Spirited Spots.” All are available at www.amazon.com.
Jason is available for interviews, speaking engagements and beer festivals. E-mail all serious inquiries to: sjasonoffutt@gmail.com.